2019 Toyota RAV4 Review

　　

zzdcar' Expert Review

byTravis LangnessReviews Editor

　　Travis Langness has worked in the automotive industry since 2011. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career.

　　

What's new

The RAV4 is completely redesigned for 2019Part of the fifth Toyota RAV4 generation introduced for 2019

　　Redesigned for 2019, the Toyota RAV4 receives a variety of updates, including a stylish new look, a new engine, and added safety and technology features. No doubt they will contribute to the RAV4's status as the best-selling small crossover SUV on the market. But is it the ideal pick for you?

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2019 Toyota RAV4 LE 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.04 per gallon for regular unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$126/mo  for RAV4 LE

　　RAV4 LE

　　LE 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 8A) (Most Popular) - $25,650 MSRPLE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) - $27,050 MSRPXLE 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 8A) - $27,450 MSRPXLE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) - $28,850 MSRPXLE Premium 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 8A) - $29,650 MSRPXLE Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) - $31,050 MSRPAdventure 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) - $33,050 MSRPLimited 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 8A) - $33,650 MSRPLimited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) - $35,050 MSRP

　　vs

　　$183/mo

　　Avg. Midsize SUV

　　The 2019 RAV4 gets a 2.5-liter engine that produces 203 horsepower, which is 27 hp more than last year's model. And it's not just more powerful, it's more efficient, too. The new engine, plus a new eight-speed automatic transmission and a lighter curb weight compared to last year, help the new RAV4 get an EPA-estimated 30 mpg combined (26 city/35 highway), which makes it one of the most fuel-efficient crossovers available.

　　Inside, the RAV4 is comfortable and spacious. The controls are easy to find and, depending on the trim level you select, there are nice surfaces lining the cabin. Apple CarPlay comes standard on every RAV4, as does Toyota's Safety Sense Suite 2.0, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and forward collision mitigation with automatic braking. On a lot of other SUVs, you have to upgrade to the more expensive trim levels to get these safety features.

　　Toyota is still offering an Adventure trim level this year. Notably, it gets some styling cues to make it look a little more like Toyota's trucks plus a special all-wheel-drive system that can provide extra traction. Then you have all of the traditional RAV4 strengths. It has excellent cargo space, a big back seat, and a comfortable ride on the highway. In short, the new RAV4 has gotten significantly better without losing any of the versatility that has made it so popular in the past.

　　There are some minor drawbacks. Even with the new engine, acceleration isn't exactly thrilling, and Toyota doesn't offer any engine upgrades. And while the updated infotainment interface is a significant improvement compared to last year, it can be difficult to learn and use. If these are deal-breakers for you, you should take a look at the impressively well-rounded Honda CR-V or the stylish Mazda CX-5. Overall, however, we think just about every small SUV shopper should take a look at the redesigned 2019 Toyota RAV4.

　　

zzdcar' Expert Rating

7.7 / 10

　　

Trim tested

　　Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the Toyota RAV4 Adventure (2.5L 4-cyl | 8-speed automatic | AWD).

　　

Scorecard

Overall	7.7 / 10
Driving	7.0
Comfort	7.5
Interior	8.0
Utility	8.0
Technology	8.0

　　

Driving

7.0

　　The RAV4 doesn't set the world on fire in any specific area. Handling and braking are solid, and the transmission helps mask some of the engine's low-end power deficiencies. Our main gripe, however, is the lack of confidence brought about by the dull steering.

　　

Acceleration

6.5

　　The engine feels willing around town, and passing and merging are pretty much drama-free. But if you're in a huge rush, you might notice the engine's ultimately modest power delivery. In zzdcar testing, our RAV4 test vehicle needed 9.1 seconds to cover 0-60 mph, which is slightly slower than the class average.

　　

Braking

7.5

　　It's easy to make smooth and steady stops in traffic, and the pedal conveys a sense of reassuring effectiveness without being jumpy. The RAV4 is also stable and secure during hard stops. In our panic-braking test, the RAV4 took 126 feet to stop from 60 mph, which is an average distance for a small crossover SUV.

　　

Steering

6.0

　　The steering is indistinct and vague at the center point, and effort is a bit too light. And though it firms as you turn it away from the center and into corners, the amount doesn't match how hard the tires are working, so it's easy to misjudge your level of input. More positively, the RAV4 tracks well on the highway, and it's fairly resistant to crosswinds.

　　

Handling

7.5

　　The RAV4 is coordinated and balanced, and it doesn't lean too much when negotiating corners. It's nicely resistant to bumps that come in the middle of corners, too. Torque-vectoring all-wheel drive helps turn this SUV more steadily in wet or snowy conditions. Tire grip is appropriate for the class.

　　

Drivability

7.5

　　The eight-speed transmission has enough ratios to avoid busy shifting on grades. Shifts are very smooth, and there's no reluctance to downshift, but the shift-smoothing strategy does make each shift take longer than you might want if you're in a rush. The Sport mode sharpens gas-pedal responsiveness and shift timing to a useful degree.

　　

Off-road

8.0

　　The Adventure and the Limited have an upgraded AWD system with rear-axle torque vectoring. They also have more advanced traction control systems that support a driver-selectable system of multiple terrain settings and hill descent control. These systems, plus respectable ground clearance, give the RAV4 Adventure above-average off-road ability for a small SUV.

　　

Comfort

7.5

　　The RAV4 is pleasant to ride in for long distances, especially when it comes to ride comfort and the climate control system. The back seat is quite comfy, but the front seat bottoms begin to feel flat after an hour or so, and the front passenger seat is set too high. The cabin is mostly quiet, with the exception of a coarse engine note.

　　

Seat comfort

7.0

　　The front seats are nicely sculpted and padded appropriately, but the seat bottoms begin to feel flat on longer drives. The passenger side's lack of seat height adjustment and coarse-adjusting manual backrest lever make it difficult to find a comfortable position. The rear seatbacks recline, and the seat bottoms and backrest are comfortably shaped and nicely padded.

　　

Ride comfort

8.0

　　The suspension is tuned to strike a good balance between control and softness. The body doesn't bound or float, and small to moderate impacts are absorbed without much drama. Deep potholes can feel sharp, but the overall smoothness of the RAV4 on a variety of surfaces is appealing.

　　

Noise & vibration

7.0

　　The RAV4's 2.5-liter four-cylinder is thrashy and coarse, but at least the sound conveys some strength instead of weakness. The tight-sealing sill-overlapping doors nicely mute road noise. Wind noise is normally minimal, but it gets noticeable if you have the optional roof rack crossbars fitted.

　　

Climate control

8.0

　　Toyota's controls are excellent, with nice, big rubberized knobs that are easy to use, even when you're wearing winter gloves. Air distribution is also ideal, with forward vents that can be closed off completely as desired and vents for the rear seat. The seat heaters don't get very warm even on the highest setting, however.

　　

Interior

8.0

　　The logically laid-out controls are easy to use and nice to look at. Driving position, roominess, and ease of entry and exit are all good, but the RAV4 would score higher if the front passenger seat wasn't set so high or could be adjusted down. The driver's seat and steering wheel have a useful range of adjustment, but tall drivers might want a smidge more of each.

　　

Ease of use

9.0

　　The controls are easy to find and have functionality that is self-evident. Labels tend to be large and legible. The audio system and climate system controls are islands unto themselves, and everything else is right where you expect it to be. Our only gripe is that the reach to the touchscreen is a little long.

　　

Getting in/getting out

7.5

　　It's fairly easy to get in and out of the RAV4 because the short doors can be opened readily in tight parking spots. The rear door openings are nicely squared off at the roof, too, for added head clearance. However, tall or inflexible people will have to duck into the front passenger seat because it's set a bit high and can't be adjusted down.

　　

Driving position

7.5

　　The basic seating position relates well to the steering wheel, pedals and gauges. The telescoping steering wheel satisfied most everyone, but the tallest among us wished it pulled out just a bit more. The same was true of the driver-seat height: Most were happy, but our taller drivers wanted to drop the seat a little lower than it could go.

　　

Roominess

7.5

　　There's suitable space all around, but the front passenger may complain that he or she is too close to the roof because that seat is set too high and lacks any height adjustment. The back seat can accommodate a tall passenger behind a tall driver. There's plenty of headroom in back, plus lots of toe room and a seat recline feature.

　　

Visibility

8.5

　　The front pillars are slender and easy to see around, and a gap between them and the door-mounted mirrors ensures there's no front-corner blind spot. The rearview mirrors are large and offer good coverage. The rear three-quarter blind spot isn't big either because there are extra windows behind the rear doors. The optional surround-view cameras offer multiple useful viewing angles. The rearview camera image is pretty low-res.

　　

Quality

8.0

　　The RAV4 is well-built inside, with nice layered materials and seams that are invisible because they're built into the styling. It has excellent tactile touches such as rubberized grip surfaces on the interior door pulls and the radio and climate knobs. The too-smooth leather upholstery looks a little artificial and cheap but its seams are tidy and straight.

　　

Utility

8.0

　　The RAV4's cargo hold is among the biggest in the class, and that's true whether the seats are up or down. It's also low and easy to load. Up front, the cabin has numerous shelves and bins to handle assorted road-trip paraphernalia. Kid seats are quite easy to install, and all but the bulkiest ones fit well.

　　

Small-item storage

8.0

　　The glovebox and center console are neither remarkably small nor uncommonly large. What makes the difference are the many useful nooks and good-size shelves all around. You'll have plenty of space to put things during long road trips. The door pockets aren't very large, but they will hold big bottles.

　　

Cargo space

8.5

　　The liftover height is low, and the RAV4's cargo opening is broad. Behind the rear seats you get 37.5 cubic feet of capacity. The second-row seats fold nearly flat, and the hinge area is cleverly upholstered so there's no crack for items to fall into. Expanded capacity is generous at 69.8 cubic feet. The roll-up cargo cover has a special underfloor storage slot.

　　

Child safety seat accommodation

8.0

　　It's easy to locate and connect to the lower LATCH anchors. Likewise, tethering to the three upper anchors is straightforward. Forward-facing seats and boosters fit readily, but installing a rear-facing infant seat on the passenger side will likely require scooting the front seat up. The too-high front passenger seat mentioned earlier is the issue here.

　　

Towing

8.0

　　Most RAV4s have a modest tow rating of 1,500 pounds; the Adventure can tow 3,500 pounds. This rating is pretty healthy for a small SUV, and certainly enough for the sort of outdoor gear you might want to tow to the trailhead.

　　

Technology

8.0

　　This category is all over the map. The audio and navigation system's physical controls are great, but the graphics and menu flow feel a decade old. Smartphone users finally have Apple CarPlay, but Android Auto is still not supported. We like that a comprehensive suite of advanced driver aids comes standard on all trim levels.

　　

Audio & navigation

7.0

　　The control interface involves a great mix of touchscreen and fixed buttons that are easy to learn without consulting the owner's manual. But the graphics and menu structure within the software already look dated whether you're messing with audio or looking at maps. The sound quality from the base system isn't anything special.

　　

Smartphone integration

7.5

　　Apple CarPlay is available, but there's no Android Auto. 'Droid users must interface with Toyota's dreaded Entune system. One USB data port is supplied along with four power-only USBs: two front, two rear. Bluetooth pairing is easy and requires few confirmation steps. You can opt for a wireless charge pad that will hold the largest phones.

　　

Driver aids

9.0

　　Toyota's standard suite of driver aids is quite impressive. It includes adaptive cruise control that works down to 0 mph, automatic emergency braking, drowsy driver detection, automatic high beams, lane keeping assist, and something called Line Tracing Assist, which is an active (but not hands-free) steering aid.

　　

Voice control

8.0

　　Toyota's voice control system works pretty well if you take a few minutes to follow the prompted procedure to teach it your voice. Of course, pressing and holding the voice button longer gets you to Siri or Google Voice on your smartphone, which is even more powerful. Not a bad combination.

　　

Which RAV4 does zzdcar recommend?

　　The most capable RAV4 trim level is the Adventure, and that's the one we'd go with. It's got a cool look thanks to some extra exterior cladding plus an upgraded all-wheel-drive system that includes torque-vectoring technology. The Adventure also comes with most of the RAV4's desirable features including an upgraded 8-inch touchscreen, a power liftgate and premium interior surfaces.

　　

2019 Toyota RAV4 models

　　The 2019 RAV4 is available in five trim levels: LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure and Limited. Every trim level comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (203 horsepower, 184 pound-feet of torque) and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard on all trim levels aside from the Adventure, which gets all-wheel drive. Otherwise, all-wheel drive is optional. If you opt for all-wheel drive, the LE and the XLE get RAV4's standard AWD system. The Adventure and the Limited have an upgraded system with a torque-vectoring feature that can shift power distribution between the rear wheels to enhance traction when driving on dirt or snowy roads.

　　

Toyota RAV4 LE

You might expect the RAV4 LE, as the base-level trim, to be sparsely equipped, but that's not the case. It comes standard with 17-inch steel wheels, LED headlights, rear privacy glass, low-profile roof rails, Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 (forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams), a rearview camera, a 60/40-split folding and reclining second-row seat, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a 7-inch touchscreen interface with Apple CarPlay compatibility, one USB port, Bluetooth and a six-speaker sound system.

　　

Toyota RAV4 XLE

The XLE adds 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, foglights, heated mirrors, push-button start, keyless entry, upgraded interior trim, a sunroof, blind-spot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert, dual-zone automatic climate control, four additional USB ports (five total) and extending sun visors.

　　

Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium

From there, the XLE Premium adds 19-inch wheels, a slightly raised suspension (8.6 inches of ground clearance versus 8.4 inches), a power liftgate, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a power-adjustable driver's seat, simulated leather upholstery (SofTex), and soft-touch dashboard materials.

　　

Toyota RAV4 Adventure

The Adventure is a bit special since it adds some special styling flourishes along with its extra equipment. On top of getting most of the XLE Premium's contents, the Adventure has unique 19-inch alloy wheels, fender flares, all-weather floor mats, taller roof rails, an upgraded rearview camera (with guidelines), embossed seating details, an upgraded driver information display, an 8-inch touchscreen and satellite radio. The Adventure trim level is also rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds, while all other RAV4 trim levels can only pull 1,500 pounds.

　　

Toyota RAV4 Limited

The Limited builds on the XLE Premium's equipment with chrome exterior trim, driver-seat memory functions, an auto-dimming mirror, the 8-inch touchscreen and a Toyota navigation system.

　　Some of the Limited's upgrades can be added to the Adventure, XLE Premium and XLE trim levels through a variety of packages. Other options, depending on the trim level, include a hands-free liftgate, a surround-view parking camera, a parking sensor system with automatic braking, a panoramic sunroof, a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, wireless smartphone charging and an 11-speaker JBL sound system.

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2019 RAV4 Highlights

Trim: LEXLEXLE PremiumAdventureLimitedLE

　　

Base MSRP	$25,650
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	30 MPG
Cost to Drive	$126/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	37.6 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles